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OCR A2 'Drama and Poetry pre-1800' 20th June 2012

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I am testing myself by not looking at book or notes. So here are the Cassio quotes I have.

"Reputation, reputation, reputation." Easy one ha
He is called an "arthimetician" by Iago, suggesting he is not a real soldier but a theoritical one.
"I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking"
"It is my breeding that gives me such bold show of courtesy"
He calls Bianca a "customer" when criticising her when Iago suggests they marry

Thats all I got from my head. Not sure if they are any use in an essay.

wierdly, i've almost exactly the same ones..I think if a Cassio question came up, I'd cry. Similar to a question on Brabantio, I'd dislike one on Emelia, but I could deal with it, similar with Desdemona..

Reply 361

LeSacMagique

Cassio won't come up, he came up June 2011. (Correction: Jan 2011)

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 362

Charlotte_19

Anyone done an essay plan on Emilia? Do you think she'll come up?

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 363

agoetcherian

Original post by MissBlueskys

At least I was close for off top of my head lol. Will that do much harm in the exam? Pretty sure I will get most of them a little wrong, except "Honest Iago"

The examiner will count it as paraphrasing. Unless it's a really well known one (e.g. the green eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on), then they may not notice. If they do, they will give you some credit for attempting it and they will still understand what you mean.

Reply 364

sophiek1

lots of people have been saying the character of othello will come up.. what do you guys think?

Reply 365

MissBlueskys

Original post by confusedexcited

I would just love for a question all on Iago, I would be so happy. He comes up so often I don't know whether it is more certain he will come up again or unlikely. I don't think a question on Brabantio will come up because he only appears for one Act and then dies in the background. I really should revise the women of the play in case they come up. Cassio I wouldn't mind, but wouldn't be amazing on. Anything I get I think I will write a paragraph or so on Iago anyway cause he can link in with everything.

Original post by LeSacMagique

Cassio won't come up, he came up June 2011.

No he didn't. Iago and Roderigo came up and a question on the women of the play.

Reply 366

Palv

Original post by Neelambri

does anyone know any(at least 5) critical quotes for The Winters Tale or even Dr Faustus and the pardoners tale?or any good sites????

Faustus -
'the powers that Faustus sells his soul to acquire dissipate themselves in tawdry materialism and vulgar spectacle.'
'Lucifer-who fell- is already figured as a defeated conspirator, a failure in political terms whose fate should be a warning to Faustus of his own inevitable defeat and damnation.'
'The god he serves is his own appetite.'
'Faustus' life and death constitute a 'tragical history' only inasmuch as he is lead into temptation.'
'Faustus is also a Rennaisance hero, consumed not only by a desire for pleasure, but by intellectual curiosity, a longing to explore world beyond human limits.'
The moral of Doctor Faustus - 'it little profits an upwardly mobile man if he mistakes material satisfaction for spiritual fulfillment'
'Here is the strange ambiguity within Faustus - in order to break out from the constraints of religion he chooses to bind himself to another force equally medieval, equally restricting.'

Pardoner -
'a moral story told by a devilish man who's steeped in the very sins he claims that he can pardon with their money.'
'fault-ridden characters whose end is inevitable, but yet still surprising.'
'There are important links between the Pardoner's blasphemously self-destructive and damnable way of life and the themes of self-destruction, blasphemy and damnation in his Tale.'
'The Pardoner has been seen as a eunuch, and his eunuchry understood as symbolising spiritual sterility or heresy or inner despair, or as driving him to use his verbal arts, documents, relics as substitutes (for his missing virility)..in the belief that they can make him whole.'
'An essential feature of the evil embodied in the Pardoner is that it should be self-confident, blatant, the very opposite of ashamed itself.'
'Variety is the essence of his art.'
'God brings men to the ill ends they themselves desire.'

Reply 367

Palv

Original post by Xyonzz

Time to learn some fancy words and fabricate some critics from scratch...that's my AO3 sorted :mwuaha:

That would be pretty risky considering the fact that many examiners will be experts in the texts we study and would be aware of critical material

Reply 368

IngensPolyspaston

Is anyone concerning themselves with theories of tragedy? i.e Aristotle and Frye

Its sort of reliant on a specific question coming up (Im doing Othello and Duchess of Malfi play-wise)

Reply 369

Pn94

Original post by Palv

That would be pretty risky considering the fact that many examiners will be experts in the texts we study and would be aware of critical material

But there are potentially limitless amounts of criticism for either text...

Reply 370

LeSacMagique

Original post by MissBlueskys

You're right: but Cassio did come up in January 2011.

Reply 371

Xyonzz

Original post by Palv

That would be pretty risky considering the fact that many examiners will be experts in the texts we study and would be aware of critical material

They can't know every critic though...and someone posted earlier that you don't always have to say the critic name, so if you're in the exam and desperate for some AO3... :wink:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 372

LeSacMagique

It really isn't important if your AO3 references are quotes, attributed to anyone who exists, etc. etc. They don't care. All they want you to do is to present another way of interpreting the text and for you to say what you think about that interpretation.

Reply 373

confusedexcited

Original post by Palv

That would be pretty risky considering the fact that many examiners will be experts in the texts we study and would be aware of critical material

I really wish they were experts. You'd be amazed how inept many examiners are. I quote from the sample full mark piece that AQA issued, 'Iago is a motiveless Machivellian'. That, quite literally, makes no sense. Yet, they're giving that full marks, then saying it's a near perfect answer.. Oh dear.

Original post by IngensPolyspaston

Is anyone concerning themselves with theories of tragedy? i.e Aristotle and Frye

Its sort of reliant on a specific question coming up (Im doing Othello and Duchess of Malfi play-wise)

I'm doing the same plays, and I haven't revised the traditional, Jacobean or revenge structure of tragedies. Frankly, I am not entirely sure whether it'd be that much use, you're better off sticking with language, alternate readings and context. :smile:

Reply 374

MissBlueskys

Original post by Xyonzz

They can't know every critic though...and someone posted earlier that you don't always have to say the critic name, so if you're in the exam and desperate for some AO3... :wink:

I agree because my teacher gave us a quote by the actor Andy Serkis. That wouldn't be know by every marker. Similarly you could talk about Ewan McGregor's views on playing Iago in the theatre. There is a video of him being interviewed on youtube. An examiner would hardly look up what he said.

Reply 375

Harry.K

few questions:

1. how many sides of writing would suffice for each question?

2. how many quotes do they expect you to use in each question?

3. same question as no.2 but with critics.

Reply 376

Palv

Original post by Pn94

But there are potentially limitless amounts of criticism for either text...

True but isn't it a lot safer to learn something that is approved? The rest is your choice :smile:

Reply 377

lulubird

Original post by sophiek1

lots of people have been saying the character of othello will come up.. what do you guys think?

I would really like an Othello question to come up! It's actually pretty possible as well considering he has only come in the past when being linked to another character eg. Iago, Desdemona or the dramatic effects of heroism and there definetely is enough to write a whole essay on him. However, I guess if Iago/Othello came up in january they might give him a miss!

Reply 378

agoetcherian

Original post by Harry.K

few questions:

1. how many sides of writing would suffice for each question?

2. how many quotes do they expect you to use in each question?

3. same question as no.2 but with critics.

1. As much as you can.
2. As many as you can.
3. Probably around 3 for section A and 2 for section B would do, but only if you work them in to the essay and they aren't dropped in tokenistically.

Reply 379

Palv

Original post by Xyonzz

They can't know every critic though...and someone posted earlier that you don't always have to say the critic name, so if you're in the exam and desperate for some AO3... :wink:

Yes it was me who said that it isn't essential to know the name of the critic but I still believe to be safer and won't be making up stuff.